Liquid cryogen storage tank for shore, ship or barge

ABSTRACT

A container for cryogenic fluids is described wherein a first layer of insulating blocks completely lines the interior of the container and at least a portion of one face of each block is bonded to the interior of the container by a cryogenic adhesive. The sides of the insulating blocks have a contractable insulating material completely surrounding them. At least a second layer of insulating blocks is bonded to the first layer of blocks; at least about 2 percent of the areas common to the faces of the first and second layers of blocks are bonded. The sides of the second layer of blocks are surrounded by a contractable insulating material. The face areas common to the blocks that are not bonded preferably have a substantially non-friction material attached thereto. The layers of blocks are arranged so that there are no direct heat paths to the walls of the container. A membrane of Mylar polyester film completely covers the interior of the container and is sufficiently bonded to the interior layer of blocks to support the Mylar film. Optionally, another layer of insulating blocks can be bonded to the Mylar film and then another layer of Mylar film bonded to this layer of blocks-this is preferred for containers used in transporting cryogen. Where the container is stationary, the top of the container does not have to have the membrane of Mylar film.

United States Patent 1 Sterrett Sept. 25, 1973 1 LIQUID CRYOGEN STORAGETANK FOR SHORE, SIIIP OR BARGE [75] Inventor: Eugene L. Sterrett,Findlay, Ohio [73] Assignee: Marathon Oil Company, Findlay,

Ohio

[22] Filed: I Oct. 12,1971

[21] Appl. No.: 188,040

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No.21,574, March 23,

1970, Pat. NO. 3,682,346.

Primary Examiner-Samuel B. Rothberg Assistant ExaminerAllan N. ShoapAttorney-Joseph C. Herring et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT A container for cryogenic fluids is described wherein afirst layer of insulating blocks completely lines the interior of thecontainer and at least a portion of one face of each block is bonded tothe interior of the container by a cryogenic adhesive. The sides of theinsulating blocks have a contractable insulating material completelysurrounding them. At least a second layer of insulating blocks is bondedto the first layer of blocks; at least about 2 percent of the areascommon to the faces of the first and second layers of blocks are bonded.The sides of the second layer of blocks are surrounded by a contractableinsulating material. The face areas common to the blocks that are notbonded preferably have a substantially non-friction material attachedthereto. The layers of blocks are arranged so that there are no directheat paths to the walls of the container. A membrane of Mylar polyesterfilm completely covers the interior of the container and is sufficientlybondedto the interior layer of blocks to support the Mylar film.Optionally, another layer of insulating blocks can be bonded to theMylar film and then another layer of Mylar film bonded to this layer ofblocksthis is preferred for containers used in transporting cryogen.Where the container is stationary, the top of the container does nothave to have the membrane of Mylar film.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This is a continuation-in-part ofmy copending patent application, Ser. No. 21,574, filed March 23, 1970,now US. Pat. No. 3,682,346, issued Aug. 8, 1972.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This inventionrelates to internally insulated containers for the confinement ofcryogenic fluids and more specifically to a load-bearing insulatingmaterial that does not permit direct heat path to the container walls.On the interior of the insulating blocks, a membrane of Mylar film isbonded to the insulating blocks. The container can be used to transportcryogen or contain cryogen in a stationary position. v

2. Description of the Prior Art U. S. Pat. No. 2,859,895 to Beckwithteaches a method of insulating the shell of a methane storage tank. Theinsulation is defined as a wall made of a multiplicity of separateblocks or strips or panels of a light, permeable, preferablystraight-grained, natural or synthetic wood-like material having a highinsulating factor. The blocks are mounted on the walls by glue and arestaggered so that the glue planes are not uninterrupted.

U. S. Pat. No. 3,106,307 to Morrison teaches a combination of a layer ofair-laden polystyrene protecting an inner layer of freon-ladenpolyurethane.

U. S. Pat. No. 3,136,135 to Rigby et al. teaches-the use of foamedpolyvinyl chloride or foamed polystyrene to insulate a tanker forshipping liquefied natural gas.

U. S. Pat. No. 3,367,492 to Pratt et al. teaches insulating the innerwall of an LNG tanker with foam encapsulated in fiberglass reinforcedurethane material. The encapsulated foam is partitioned to form blocksand the blocks attached to the wall by mechanical means. The blocks arejoined together by a joint assembly fastened to the blocks with groovesand adhesive.

U. S. Pat. No. 3,367,527 to Darlington teaches a cryogenic containerinternally insulated with moisturefree insulating blocks (blocks can beencapsulated in a plastic material, e.g., polyurethane). The blocks liein juxtaposition with adjoining faces abutting. One face of the block issecured to the interior of the shell and the remaining faces areindependent of the adjoining insulating blocks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Applicant has discovered a novel method ofdesigning a cryogen tank that provides for differential expansionbetween insulating materials and at the same'time supports an interiorlayer of Mylar polyester film (Mylar is a trademark of E. I. duPont deNemours and Co., Wilmington, Del. USA. This is accomplished by liningthe inside of the container with:

l. a first layer of insulatinb blocks, one face of the blocks bonded tothe interior wall of the container and the blocks arranged side by side,the blocks having sufiicient space between them to provide for expansionand contraction over a temperature range of about 72 to about 350without shearing the blocks from the wall,

2. a contractable and expandable insulating material filling at least aportion of the space between the sides of the blocks,

3. at least a second layer of insulating blocks arranged over said firstlayer so that no direct paths of heat loss are permitted to the shell ofthe container, the blocks arranged side by side and spaced as in 1),

4. a contractable and expandable insulating material filling at least aportion of the space between the second layer of blocks,

5. the faces common to the blocks within the first and second layersbonded with a cryogenic adhesive on at least 2 percent of the areacommon to the faces, and

6. a membrane of Mylar film completely lining the exposed face of thesecond layer of blocks and attached thereto by adhering with a cryogenicadhesive at least 2 percent of the area common to the block and theMylar film.

The insulating blocks are self-supporting. Differential expansion of theinsulating blocks is accommodated by the contractable and expandableinsulating material is supported by the insulating blocks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES FIG. 1 is a cross section of thecontainer wall with layers of insulating blocks and a layer of Mylarfilm.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the insulating blocks showing how the blocksoverlap other insulating blocks so that no direct paths of heat arepermitted to the container wall.

FIG. 3 illustrates a preferred way of bonding layers of Mylar filmtogether.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a preferred container wherein onelayerof Mylar film is sandwiched between insulating blocks and then afinal layer of Mylar film is attached to the exposed layer of insulatingblocks.

FIG. 1 is a cross section of the container wall. Wall 2 can be steel,concrete or like material. Such is representative of the container wallof, for instance, an ocean-going tanker to transport LNG (liquefiednatural gas). Interior of the wall 4 is connected to the face of thefirst layer of insulating blocks 6 by cryogenic adhesivebond 5. Space 8between blocks 6 is filled with a contractable and expandable insulatingmaterial such as sponge urethane, strips of fiberglass, or likematerials. The second layer of insulating blocks 10 is attached tothefirst layer of insulating blocks 6 by cryogenic adhesive bond 5.Also, the spaces 8 between the second layer of insulating blocks 10 arefilled with the insulating material. The areas common to the facesbetween the block that are not bonded can be coated with a substantiallynonfriction material'at 7, e.g., Teflon or like material, to preventabrasion between the blocks when thermal expansion and contraction movesthe blocks. Optionally, a third layer of insulating blocks 12 areattached to the second layer of insulating blocks 10, via bonding at 5the faces common to the blocks. Again, the space 8 between insulatingblocks 12 is filled with the insulating material. The layers of blocks6, l0 and 12 are placed such that no direct heat passes are permitted towall 4 of the container. Attached to the exposed face of insulatingblocks 12 is a membrane or layer of Mylar film 14. The membrane of Mylarfilm l4 is attached at 5 to the inside of insulating blocks 12 by acryogenic adhesive. Mylar 14 can be connected to other layers of Mylarfilm by overlapping as shown at 20. The overlap of Mylar film isattached to the underlap of Mylar film by a cryogenic adhesive; othermethods of joining the Mylar film are useful, e.g., thermal bonding.Suction cups 16 can be previously countersunk flush to the face ofinsulation blocks 12 and bonded to the blocks, the cups useful to holdthe Mylar film in place until the adhesive cures.

Optionally, the Mylar film can be attached to other layers of Mylar filmby folding back about 1/2 inch at the edge of each Mylar sheet and thenlocking these 180 folds together as shownin FIG. 3. Locking of the foldscan be effected by cryogenic adhesive, thermal bonding, mechanicalmeans, etc.

FIG. 2 is an inside view of the insulating blocks before the Mylar filmis attached to the exposed face of insulating blocks 1. FIG. 2 showsthat the insulating blocks are arranged side by side and that they havespace 8 between the sides of the blocks. The third layer of insulatingblocks 12 is staggered over the second layer of insulating blocks 10 andthe latter blocks staggered over the first layer of insulating blocks 6such that no direct pass of heat leak is permitted to wall 4. Fasteningmeans such as wood pegs 18 in FIG. 1 can be used to adjoin or fasten thefaces of insulating blocks to each other and hold the blocks in placeduring the curing of the cryogenic adhesive. A preferred embodiment ofthe invention is that blocks 12 are smaller in area than blocks 10 andthe latter blocks are smaller in area than blocks 6.

FIG. 4 represents a preferred embodiment of the invention. A first layer6, second layer 10, and third layer 12 of insulation blocks and amembrane of Mylar film 14 are arranged as in FIG. 1, except that anadditional membrane of Mylar film 15 is sandwiched between layers 10 and12. The faces of insulation blocks 10 and 12 that are common to theMylar film are bonded to the sandwiched Mylar film layer 15. Thisembodiment is preferred when the container is used to transport LNG, e.g., a ship.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Applicants invention teachesa novel method of cryogenic tank fabrication. This method provides ameans for differential expansion between insulating blocks and alsoprovides a means of fastening the insulating blocks to the inside of thecontainer. The insulating blocks are arranged in such a manner as toprevent direct pass of heat leaks to the container wall. Mylar film, ora like material, completely covers the interior of container when thecontainer is used to transport cryogen. When the container is astationary insulation, the container top may only need the insulation,i.e., the

membrane of Mylar film is not necessary. The insulating blocks supportthe Mylar film.

Mylar is a trademark of duPont I. dePont de Nemours and Co., Wilmington,Del. and identifies a polyethylene terephthalate resin. Thickness of the.Mylar polyester film useful with this invention can range from Theinsulating blocks can be made of any material which has good insulatingcharacteristics and which has a relatively low temperature coefficientof expansion. Examples of preferred materials include foamed polyvinylchloride (this material has a low conductivity of heat and has highstrength), foamed glass, foamed urethane, encapsulated perlite, and likematerials. The insulating material may be encapsulated by a protectivecovering, e.g. plywood, etc. The insulating material must be absolutelyfree of water vapor. Optionally, a positive pressure of an inert gas(the gas is dehydrated) can be maintained within the space containingthe insulating blocks.

The insulating blocks are adhered or bonded to the inside wall of thecontainer, to adjoining insulating blocks and to the Mylar film by acryogenic adhesive. Preferably, the adhesive has a high tensilestrength, e. g. 8000 psi and higher at the cryogenic temperature.Examples of useful cryogenic adhesives include 1) a twopart polyurethanemixture marketed by the Narmco Corp. of the Whittaker Corp, and composedof percent by weight formulation No. 7343 and 10 percent by weight offormulation No. 7139; 2) a two-part polyester mixture marketed by E. I.duPont de Nemours and Co., Wilmington, Del., U.S.A. composed of 97percent by volume formulation No. 96990 and 3 percent by volume offormulation No. RC 805; 3) a two-part polyurethane mixture marketed bythe CPR division of The Upjohn Company, 7171 Portage Rd., Kalamazoo,Mich., composed 90 percent by weight formulation CPR 2050 and 10 percentby weight formulation MOCA; 4) formulation No. G207 marketed by TheGoodyear Tire and Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio, and like materials.

The areas between the container walls and the faces of the insulationblocks and between the faces of the blocks that need be bonded are onlythe areas needed to support the insulation blocks and the Mylar film.All of the area, ie 100 percent, is desirably not bonded since suchwould not permit much freedom of movement during thermal expansion andcontraction. It is preferred that at least about 2 percent of the areascommon to the interior wall and first layer of blocks and to the layersof blocks and to the insulating blocks and Mylar film be bonded. Also,each block must be bonded to the wall of the container and thereaftereach block bonded to at least one block it overlays.

The insulating blocks are attached one to the other by the cryogenicadhesive. Sufficient bonding is needed to transferthe load (weight ofMylar film and blocks) from the outer-tank to the inner-tank.

The spaces between the blocks are filled with contractable andexpandable insulation material, e.g., sponged urethane, fiberglass, etc.Such accommodates the differential expansion of the blocks. The spaceshould be sufiiciently wide to permit expansion and contraction of theblocks over the operating temperature range of the container withoutshearing the blocks from the walls of the container or other blocks.Examples of temperature ranges include ambient temperature'(e.g. 72F) toabout -350F and preferably about 72.F to about -320F. and morepreferably about 72F to about 260F at atmospheric pressure.

The blocks are arranged one over the other, or the layers of blocksstaggered so that no direct pass of heat is permitted in case of a leak.That is, the second layer of blocks is placed onto the first layer ofinsulating blocks in an offset pattern" such that the joints do not lineup with each other, see FIG. 2. Also, each block within the second layeris bonded to at least one block in the first layer of insulating blocks.As mentioned earlier, at least about 2 percent of each face area of theblocks is bonded. The non-bonded surfaces of the face areas common tothe insulating blocks can be coated with a substantially non-frictionmaterial, e.g., Teflon film or like material to prevent abrasion betweenthe layers of insulating blocks as they expand and contract due totemperature changes, i.e., as the blocks move relative to each other.

After the insulating blocks are attached, the exposed face of the lastlayer of insulating block is covered with a membrane of Mylar film.Also, a membrane of Mylar film may be sandwiched between the insulatingblocks. The Mylar film is preferably about 0.5 to about 3 mils thick.The Mylar film may be joined together by overlapping one Mylar filmlayer over another layer of Mylar film and then bonding the contiguoussurface with a cryogenic adhesive, or the Mylar film may be joined by athermal melting procedure whereby a hot iron or hot gas is used to jointwo Mylar films. Besides lapping the joints of Mylar film and thenbonding them, it may be advantageous to use mechanical means to join theMylar film. Such can be accomplished by folding back about inch on theedge of each Mylar sheet and then locking the 180 folds together asshown in FIG. 3. The locking can be effected by mechanical means, or acryogenic adhesive or any suitable means. The Mylar film can be securelyheld in position by suction cups countersunk into the insulating blocksand flush with the insulating blocks, the cups supporting the Mylar filmwhile the cryogenic adhesive is curing. Only a portion of the areacontiguous to the layer of insulating blocks and Mylar film is coatedwith the adhesive, the minimum area being that which is needed tosupport the Mylar film. At least about 2 percent of the Mylar area issufficient.

The Mylar film membrane can be fabricated in the form of a sack externalto the inner layer of insulating blocks and then inserted into theshell-insulation container. Support for the sack can be effected byfastening the top of the sack to the top rim of the shellinsulationcontainer or by spot adhesive application to the inner layer ofinsulating blocks.

The insulating blocks can be joined with wooden pegs. Also, theinsulating blocks contiguous to the interior of the tank can be joinedwith wooden pegs, e.g., such pegs may be previously bonded to theinterior of the wall. Such is helpful in temporarily supporting theblocks while the adhesive cures.

The container can be any building material which provides sufficientstructural strength to contain the cryogenic material; Examples includereinforced concrete, steel, alloys, synthetic materials such asplastics, etc. Reinforced concrete is the preferred constructionmaterial for barges since the weight of the concrete provides ballast.Also, the barge can substitute for shore storage and the cryogenreplenished merely by shuttling barges.

A minimum of two layers of the insulating blocks is recommended withthis invention. However, three layers is preferred and more than threelayers are useful for certain cases. It is evident that the temperaturedifferential between the outside of the container and cryogen willgovern the number of insulating block layers as well as the thickness ofthe insulating blocks. Preferably, the insulating blocks closer to thecryogen are smaller in area than the blocks contiguous to the shell ofthe container-such a design will permit a larger degree of thermalexpansion and contraction next to the cryogen. The larger insulatingblocks, i.e. the blocks contiguous to the shell of the container, willstill have sufficient capability to expand and contract although thedegree of expansion and contraction will not be as great as theinsulating blocks closer to the cryogen. Preferably the intermediatelayer of blocks has an area intermediate in size of the smaller andlarger area blocks. This is preferred since the insulating blocks closerto the cryogen will necessarily have a larger degree of expansion andcontraction than the insulating blocks removed from the cryogen.

Where the container is to be used on a ship, it is preferred that amembrane of Mylar film be sandwiched between the layers of insulationblocks and then a membrane of Mylar film completely line the exposedface of the first layer of insulating blocks. For example, FIG. 4 is apreferred design.

It is intended that all equivalents obvious to those skilled in the artbe incorporated within the scope of the invention as defined within thespecification and appended claims.

What is claimed is:

-l. A container for the confinement of cryogenic fluids comprising:

I. an outer shell,

2. a first layer of a plurality of insulatingblocks lining the interiorof the shell, at least about 2 percent of the face area of one side ofeach block is bonded with a cryogenic adhesive to the interior of theshell and the blocks arranged side by side, the blocks having sufficientspace between the sides of the blocks to permit expansion andcontraction of the blocks over the operating temperature range of thecontainer without shearing the blocks from the interior of the shell,

3. a contractable and expandable insulating material completelysurrounding each block and filling at least a portion of the spacebetween the sides of the blocks,

4. at least a second layer of a plurality of insulating blocks liningthe interior of the first layer of blocks and arranged over said firstlayer so that no direct path of heat loss is permitted to the shell ofthe container, the blocks arranged side by side as in 2) and at least 2percent of the face area of each block contiguous to the face of theblock within the first layer are bonded with a cryogenic adhesive to thefirst layer of blocks,

5. a contractable and expandable insulating material surrounding thesecond layer of insulating blocks and filling at least a portion of thespace between the blocks, and

6. a membrane of Mylar polyester film lining at least the walls and thebottom of the interior of the second layer of the insulating blocks andattached thereto by bonding with a cryogenic adhesive at least asufficient portion of the area common to the blocks and the Mylar filmto support the Mylar film.

2. The container of claim 1 wherein at least three layers of insulatingblocks are attached to the interior of the shell.

3. The container of claim 2 wherein a membrane of Mylar film issandwiched between the second and third layers and is bonded to portionsof each insulating block face common to the Mylar film.

4. The container of claim 1 wherein the contractable and expandableinsulating material completely surrounds each insulating block and isflush with the sides of the blocks.

5. The container of claim 1 wherein the insulating block is eitherfoamed polyvinyl chloride, foamed glass, or foamed urethane.

6. The container of claim 1 wherein the insulating blocks closer to theMylar film are smaller in area than the first layer of insulatingblocks.

7. The container of claim 1 wherein the operating temperature range ofthe container is about 72F to about 350F.

8. The container of claim 1 wherein the operating temperature range ofthe container is about 72F to about -260F.

9. The container of claim 1 wherein the Mylar film completely lines theinterior of the second layer of insulating blocks.

10. A container for the confinement of cryogenic fluids comprising:

1. a shell 2. a first layer of insulating blocks completely lining theinterior wall of the shell, at least a portion of one face of each blockbonded by a cryogenic adhesive to the interior of the shell and theblocks arranged side by side, the blocks having sufficient space betweenthem to permit expansion and contraction of the blocks over atemperature range of about 72F to about -350F. without shearing theblocks from the interior wall,

3. a second layer of insulating blocks completely linin g the interiorof the first layer of insulating blocks and arranged over said firstlayer so that no direct path of heat loss is permitted to the shell ofthe container, the blocks arranged side by side with sufficient space asdefined in 2),

4. a third layer of insulating blocks completely lining the interior ofthe second layer of insulating blocks so that no direct path of heatloss is permitted to the shell of the container, the blocks arrangedside by side with sufiicient space as defined in 2),

5. a contractable and expandable insulating material completelysurrounding each block within the first, second, and third layers ofblocks and filling at least a portion of the space between the blockswithin these layers,

6. at least about 2 percent of the face areas of each block within thefirst, second, and third layers of blocks that are common to each otherare bonded with a cryogenic adhesive, and

7. a membrane of Mylar polyester film completely lining the interior ofthe third layer of the insulating blocks and attached thereto by bondingwith a cryogenic adhesive at least a sufficient portion of the areacommon to the third layer of blocks and the Mylar film to support theMylar film.

11. The container of claim 10 wherein the operating temperature range isabout 72F to about 260F.

12. The container of claim 10 wherein the contractable and expandableinsulating material that completely surrounds the blocks is flush withthe sides of the blocks.

13. The container of claim 10 wherein the insulating blocks are composedof either foamed polyvinyl chloride, foamed glass or foamed urethane.

14. The container of claim 10 wherein the insulating blocks closest tothe Mylar film are smaller in area than the insulating blocks adhered tothe interior of the shell.

15. The container of claim 10 wherein a membrane of Mylar film issandwiched between the second and third layers of insulating blocks andat least 2 percent of the areas common to each face of the blocks andMylar film are bonded with a cryogenic adhesive.

2. a first layer of insulating blocks completely lining the interiorwall of the shell, at least a portion of one face of each block bondedby a cryogenic adhesive to the interior of the shell and the blocksarranged side by side, the blocks havIng sufficient space between themto permit expansion and contraction of the blocks over a temperaturerange of about 72*F to about -350*F. without shearing the blocks fromthe interior wall,
 2. The container of claim 1 wherein at least threelayers of insulating blocks are attached to the interior of the shell.2. a first layer of a plurality of insulating blocks lining the interiorof the she l, at least about 2 percent of the face area of one side ofeach block is bonded with a cryogenic adhesive to the interior of theshell and the blocks arranged side by side, the blocks having sufficientspace between the sides of the blocks to permit expansion andcontraction of the blocks over the operating temperature range of thecontainer without shearing the blocks from the interior of the shell, 3.a contractable and expandable insulating material completely surroundingeach block and filling at least a portion of the space between the sidesof the blocks,
 3. The container of claim 2 wherein a membrane of Mylarfilm is sandwiched between the second and third layers and is bonded toportions of each insulating block face common to the Mylar film.
 3. asecond layer of insulating blocks completely lining the interior of thefirst layer of insulating blocks and arranged over said first layer sothat no direct path of heat loss is permitted to the shell of thecontainer, the blocks arranged side by side with sufficient space asdefined in ''''2)'''',
 4. a third layer of insulating blocks completelylining the interior of the second layer of insulating blocks so that nodirect path of heat loss is permitted to the shell of the container, theblocks arranged side by side with sufficient space as defined in''''2)'''',
 4. The container of claim 1 wherein the contractable andexpandable insulating material completely surrounds each insulatingblock and is flush with the sides of the blocks.
 4. at least a secondlayer of a plurality of insulating blocks lining the interior of thefirst layer of blocks and arranged over said first layer so that nodirect path of heat loss is permitted to the shell of the container, theblocks arranged side by side as in ''''2)'''' and at least 2 percent ofthe face area of each block contiguous to the face of the block withinthe first layer are bonded with a cryogenic adhesive to the first layerof blocks,
 5. a contractable and expandable insulating materialsurrounding the second layer of insulating blocks and filling at least aportion of the space between the blocks, and
 5. The container of claim 1wherein the insulating block is either foamed polyvinyl chloride, foamedglass, or foamed urethane.
 5. a contractable and expandable insulatingmaterial completely surrounding each block within the first, second, andthird layers of blocks and filling at least a portion of the spacebetween the blocks within these layers,
 6. at least about 2 percent ofthe face areas of each block within the first, second, and third layersof blocks that are common to each other are bonded with a cryogenicadhesive, and
 6. The container of claim 1 wherein the insulating blockscloser to the Mylar film are smaller in area than the first layer ofinsulating blocks.
 6. a membrane of Mylar polyester film lining at leastthe walls and the bottom of the interior of the second layer of theinsulating blocks and attached thereto by bonding with a cryogenicadhesive at least a sufficient portion of the area common to the blocksand the Mylar film to support the Mylar film.
 7. a membrane of Mylarpolyester film completely lining the interior of the third layer of theinsulating blocks and attached thereto by bonding with a cryogenicadhesive at least a sufficient portion of the area common to the thirdlayer of blocks and the Mylar film to support the Mylar film.
 7. Thecontainer of claim 1 wherein the operating temperature range of thecontainer is about 72*F to about -350*F.
 8. The container of claim 1wherein the operating temperature range of the container is about 72*Fto about -260*F.
 9. The container of claim 1 wherein the Mylar filmcompletely lines the interior of the second layer of insulating blocks.10. A container for the confinement of cryogenic fluids comprising: 11.The container of claim 10 wherein the operating temperature range isabout 72*F to about -260*F.
 12. The container of claim 10 wherein thecontractable and expandable insulating material that completelysurrounds the blocks is flush with the sides of the blocks.
 13. Thecontainer of claim 10 wherein the insulating blocks are composed ofeither foamed polyvinyl chloride, foamed glass or foamed urethane. 14.The container of claim 10 wherein the insulating blocks closest to theMylar film are smaller in area than the insulating blocks adhered to theinterior of the shell.
 15. The container of claim 10 wherein a membraneof Mylar film is sandwiched between the second and third layers ofinsulating blocks and at least 2 percent of the areas common to eachface of the blocks and Mylar film are bonded with a cryogenic adhesive.